The United Nations secretary-general has denounced the “renewed threat” of anti-personnel mines, days after the United States said it would supply the weapons to Ukrainian forces fighting the Russian invasion.
The remarks came during a conference in Cambodia to assess progress on the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praised the work of mine clearance and destruction around the world.
“But the threat persists” he clarified in a press release, “This concerns in particular the resumption of the use of antipersonnel mines by certain parties to the Convention, as well as the delay taken by certain parties in their commitments to destroy these weapons. The secretary general called on the 164 signatories, which include Ukraine but not Russia and the United States, to “fulfill their obligations and guarantee respect for the Convention.”
Last week, Washington announced that the United States would send mines to kyiv, which was immediately criticized by human rights organizations. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the mines were “very important” in stopping Russia’s attacks.
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